Lifting devices, such as cranes, are employed to hoist or lift objects to great heights. The crane may swivel or pivot about a pivot point to allow the crane to lift and move objects into position. It may be desirable to know the pointing angle of the crane. If a crane is very high off the ground, then it may be difficult to determine the pointing angle of the crane visually from the ground. Moreover, a visual observation of a crane's pointing angle may not be accurate.